Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-09-22
STRANGE, BUT TRUE.
BY L. E. GRANGER.

| --'--'N'sS1-s
My roommate is a lawyer, good
fellow, not in the least addicted to
EARNING, and this strange story he
told me the other night, / honestly be-
lieve to be true in every particular.
| give it just about as 1 received it
from him, and here is what he said:
1t is now just about ten years since
L was teaching school, an academy we
called it, in small town in the north
ern part of New York State, and as
usual i'll such places, l soon knew all
about everybody, even as everybody
knew all about me.
There was one delicious mystery in
the section, hermit who inhabited
cave or den he had made or found in
the rocks on Bear Mountain, about a
mile from the place. This individual
came from no one knew where,
but he had the marked char
acteristics of a sea-faring man;
he was also plainly native
of some South American country, and
as he gave no name for himself. some
enterprising original christened him
Portuguese Joe," and as such he was
known. He was well supplied with
money; gold coins of foreign mintage
and early date he frequently charged
for the little food and much drink
which he consumed in his lonely
quarters, but he would talk to no one
except to hurl curses in his Spanish
lingo at them; sc every one feared or
avoided him, though the town was
somewhat proud of the distinction
given it by the possession of real live
hermit. That he had lie N q SLAYER n
pirate, and murderer no one doubted,
and no one ever could catch the glance
Of his cold, cruel black eyes without
feeling that hatred and murder were in
his brain and heart toward all his fell
low-creatures.
Portuguese Joe" had lived in his
cave for nearly seven years, when one
terribly torrid night the most
severe storm of thunder, light
ming, rain, and hail that ever was
known in that section came down
upon it. | had been caught away from
home; was visiting friend living back
near the mountain and in sight of the
cave of Joe. ] was held there by the
violence Of the storm, and as we sat
watching the play of the brilliant flashes
against the dark background OF the
mountain we saw the wild figure of the
hermit emerge from his cave, wave his
long arms wildly, evidently shrieking
curses or prayers.
As we watched him q bolt seemed to
hurl itself direct from Heaven upon
his head and the man sank to the
ground.
SO soon as we could my friend and
myself made our way to the spot and
found the lifeless body of the hermit
with no other marks upon it than the
seeming impression of ten fingers upon
the throat. They were burned there,
but seemed perfectly natural, as though
made by two black hands.
hastened to the hotel near by, the
proprietor of which was also Justice of
the Peace. He sent for the body and
| placed it in his coach-honse to remain
until next day when official action could
be taken.
Then returned to my friends home !;
his wife, gentle, but most nervous
and excitable lady, had seen the man
receive his death stroke from the sky,
and it had Frustrated her completely.
Their only servant was young girl, and
l might be OF use, or thought SO.
Now / do not, never did believe in
spiritualism, but this lady fully CON
fided in the doctrine and possessed. or
thought she did, remarkable medium
istic powers ] had often begged her
to exercise her trance for my benefit,
but she invariably refused, saying that
l was such an utter skcptic that moth
ing would convince me.
When l arrived again and inquired
OF her health found her still greatly
excited, and in a halF-hysterical CON
dition, and while sat
there, trying by cheerful conversation
to change the current of her thoughts
she suddenly went into violent conyrll-
sions. Her shrieks were terrible; she
clutched her throat with both hands SO
tiercely thaa it was with the greatest
difficulty her husband and myself could
loosen the strangiing grasp; she raved
horribly, swore oatis in Spanish, of
which language no one ever knew she
had the least knowlelge, and which
she denied all intimacy with in her
sane moments, and she was in fact
possessed with the spirit Of Portuguese
Joe" She claimed this afterwards, and
the demoniac hate she exhibited, so un
! like her usual gentle manner, made it
plain that there was something "pos-
sessed" her. 1t was a painful scene l
was there for two hours aiding with all
my power to control her. Then she be-
{. came calm, rational, but sobbed most
! desperately.
II have killed Harry 1 have killed
] HarryW she cried.
4 The lad was their only child. q frank,
brave boy of - years, general favor
ite, and one of my brightest scholars.
He had not been home since school on
that evening, but nothing had been
thoughtof it, as the heavy storm would
have been considered sufficient excuse
fer him remaining alisight with friends
or ralatives in the town.